by James | Dec 14, 2018 | News, Uncategorized |
A considerable number of my constituents in Sutton have been in touch with me regarding the proposals for the borough-wide Controlled Parking Zone which Sutton Council are consulting on. The important date is 16th December when this closes so it is vital if you haven’t expressed your view you do so before then via the link below:
https://sutton.citizenspace.com/chief-executives-group/parking-consultation-stage-2/
Sutton has a very high level of car ownership, due in part to us being an outer London borough which doesn’t have the high levels of public transport like an area closer to London would have and this policy has the potential to significantly affect the way many people in this borough go about their day-to-day lives whether it be commuting to work, getting their children to school or going out to the shops.
This type of scheme has been pushed by the council before in the Wallington area around the station when I was a councillor before becoming an MP. I campaigned against it as a sledgehammer to crack a nut. It gained a significant amount of opposition from residents to be ultimately rejected. I have concerns about the way this particular scheme is being rolled out in terms of the lack of consultation that I’ve heard about from those who’ve contacted me and also concern about whether the number of permits and their price will change from what is initially offered. Whilst the aim of reducing overall emissions in the borough from vehicles is a noble one, I’m sceptical that using a CPZ to do this will alleviate the problem and cause further problems to residents that use car regularly, particularly if they use a car as part of their business. The Council seem to be wanting to charge residents for their parked cars which clearly won’t be emitting anything, thus encouraging them to drive during the day.
I do appreciate that there are some areas mentioned in this group which appear to need some form of parking control, however there are plenty of other areas across the borough, particularly in the Sutton West and South wards, that do not need a controlled parking zone at all, there isn’t a strong case for it happening and it’s therefore crucial that if you oppose this happening to register your view.
I’ll be working closely with the councillors in those wards such as Cllr Lily Bande, Cllr Catherine Gray as well as Cllrs Tony Shields and Tim Crowley who have been in turn working with residents such as Sandra Ackland to raise awareness of what is going on and for as many views to be inputted as possible and I’ll continue to take on board what’s been fed back to me from residents in Sutton.
by James | Nov 1, 2018 | News, Uncategorized |
I recently met with Transport for London regarding the planned tramlink extension to Sutton and Councillors for Sutton Council receive regular updates on the Sutton Link Project.
The project aims to:
• Make it quicker to travel between Sutton and Merton and improve links to central London
• Improve access to jobs and services from less connected parts of both boroughs
• Support the delivery of new homes in both boroughs
TfL subsequently said that they would be holding events around Sutton and Merton to consult with residents about the plans and they’re an ideal opportunity to go out and see for yourself what is being planned for Sutton. I will continue to work with the Mayor and TfL on this exciting project for Sutton and it is good news that the much needed infrastructure boost to Sutton in the form of the tramlink is finally being realised which will drive economic growth in the town centre.
My initial thought is that the BRT option looks interesting as it’s cheaper, will cause less disruption to construct and will be a more frequent service. However we would need to see what negative effect the more frequent service would have on congestion. But you can see for yourself and share your views.
Information about the proposals and TfL’s consultation questionnaire are on their website at tfl.gov.uk/Sutton-link
The locations, dates and times of these engagement events have been released and are detailed below:
Thursday 08 Nov 14:00 – 20:00 South Wimbledon Station, 131 Merton High Street, London, SW19 1DE
Saturday 10 Nov 11:00 – 17:00 St Nicholas Centre, St Nicholas Way, Sutton, SM1 1AY
Tuesday 13 Nov 14:00 – 20:00 The Nelson Health Centre, Kingston Road, London, SW20 8DA
Thursday 15 Nov 14:00 – 20:00 Sutton Central Library, St Nicholas Way, Sutton, SM1 1EA
Saturday 17 Nov 11:00 – 17:00 Morden Station, London Road, Morden, SM4 5AZ
Tuesday 20 Nov 13:00 – 19:00 Sutton Life Centre, 24 Alcorn Close, Sutton, SM3 9PX
Wednesday 21 Nov 15:00 – 20:00 Mitcham Parish Centre, Church Path, Mitcham, CR4 3BN
Thursday 22 Nov 14:00 – 20:00 The Salvation Army, 45 Benhill Avenue, Sutton, SM1 4DD
Saturday 24 Nov 11:00 – 16:00 Colliers Wood Library, 105-109 High Street Colliers Wood, London, SW19 2HR
Tuesday 27 Nov 10:00 – 16:00 Merton Civic Centre, Civic Centre, London Road, Morden, SM4 5DX
Wednesday 28 Nov 12:00 – 19:00 Wimbledon Library, 35 Wimbledon Hill Road, London, SW19 7NB
Saturday 01 Dec 12:00 – 18:00 Wimbledon Station, The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, SW19 7NL
Tuesday 04 Dec 14:00 – 19:00 Colliers Wood Library, 105-109 High Street Colliers Wood, London, SW19 2HR
Wednesday 05 Dec 12:00 – 18:00 David Weir Leisure Centre, Middleton Road, Carshalton, SM5 1SL
by James | Nov 1, 2018 | News |
The government has announced how much additional funding local authorities in England will receive to ease pressures over winter, which includes £737,282 for the London Borough of Sutton.
Last month at Conservative Party Conference, the Health and Social Care Secretary announced £240 million for the social care system over winter, giving councils a significant boost to prevent people from going into hospital unnecessarily and getting them home as soon as they are ready.
The funding made available to Sutton will ease pressure on the health system, and it follows another recent announcement of £145 million to improve emergency care within the NHS this winter.
The money will be used to pay for home care packages to help patients get out of hospital quicker, reablement packages to help patients carry out everyday tasks and regain mobility and confidence, and home adaptations.
I’m really pleased this welcome investment is being made available to the Council ahead of what is usually a testing time for the NHS and that the Government’s balanced management of the economy is seeing dividends for local people in Sutton.
